Most recently, a team from Stanford took the helm of Sequoia to run computational fluid dynamics simulations -- a process that requires a finely tuned balance of computation, memory and communication components -- in order to better understand engine noise from supersonic jets.

ENGADGET: Stanford seizes 1 million processing cores to study supersonic noise

"It's an automated medicated management system for elderly people, aimed to improve communication between all groups involved in the process -- including GPs (general practitioners), hospital doctors, pharmacists, the patients themselves and carers, " she told CNN.

CNN: Medication reminder for elderly